


New Christmas Traditions

by Imoshen



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Christmas celebrations, Everyone is happy here, Family Get-together, Flirting, Fluff, Human AU, Multi, Snowball Fights, So much flirting, heavily implied trans Raphael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-24 23:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22006216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imoshen/pseuds/Imoshen
Summary: This year is the first Christmas without Chuck. Amara is determined to make it a good Christmas - and the family starts new traditions.
Relationships: Amara/Ketch, Castiel/Crowley (Supernatural), Gabriel/Sam Winchester, Lucifer/Rowena MacLeod, Michael/Adam Milligan, Raphael/Dean Winchester
Comments: 8
Kudos: 36





	New Christmas Traditions

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Supernatural Trope Celebration Christmas Challenge. My trope was White Christmas.

There are lists upon lists scattered on the huge wooden table in the formal dining room. Every list is held down with plates, saucers or cups at the edges, and closer inspection shows hand-written additions to each list. Amara stands at the head of the table, looking decidedly frazzled. “I think we have everything, Michael.” 

“We do,” Michael agrees with an amused little grin. “We had everything under control a week ago, Auntie.”

Amara growls and points at Michael, but her lips twitch, too, and her shoulders relax. “Stop calling me that, brat.”

Michael grins and stands from where he’d lounged comfortably in a dining chair (which really shouldn’t have been possible, the dining chairs in the formal dining room aren’t made to be comfortable). “Come on then, Mara. Let’s distribute the lists among the troops and get to work, Christmas is coming closer with every tick of the clock.”

“ _Stop_ teasing me!” Amara demands, but she’s laughing.

Christmas in the Shurley household is a Serious Affair, and planned weeks if not months in advance. That might sound a little over the top, until one starts to count the participants. The family has grown quite a bit over the years.

This year is the first Christmas after her brother died, and Amara wants it to be the same in terms of who is there… but at the same time, she wants to make it _her_ Christmas. When she explained her ideas to Chuck’s children, she expected resistance – and was met with enthusiastic agreement. What followed was a flurry of e-mails and Skype chats until all the tasks were distributed evenly among them.

The Madness, as they’ve taken to calling it, starts three weeks before Christmas Eve with Michael and Adam arriving after work every day to help Amara set up all the guest bedrooms in the huge house. Usually, she and Ketch only occupy the first floor where the kitchen, living room and master bedroom are located, but for Christmas they need every room available.

Decorating is the task of Castiel and Crowley, who close their shop early for a week to have the time to “properly” decorate the whole house, including the Christmas tree. Amara expected the most protest from them, but both men grinned like madmen when presented with the challenge to put up wholly new decorations this year. The result are decorations in shades of silver and pale gold and vibrant evergreen, a fresh, modern look that Amara decides she really likes.

Gabriel is a whirlwind in the kitchen in the week before Christmas, his husband Sam a bemused, looming shadow in his wake. Sam’s brother Dean usually shows up along with them, exchanging snark and trading insults with Ketch all day as they shop and prepare the kitchen for the madness of a twelve-person Christmas Dinner. Cooking is a task Gabriel does alone as much as he can, the only person allowed in his domain is Sam when he gets going – and even Sam occasionally has to flee or risk being run over, or hit with hot pans or other implements when Gabriel simply forgets he’s there.

Raphael, along with Lucifer and Rowena, usually drop in whenever they can carve some free time out of their days to help clean and sort the cutlery and dishware needed for the Dinner. Amara spends a few quiet evenings cleaning and talking with them and is surprised to find new sides to her niece, nephew and Lucifer’s wife.

The closer they get to Christmas, the more the house is filled with delicious scents and laughter and people.

“Move!”

Sam squeezes himself out of the way as best he can just before Gabriel hurries past, carrying a sheet with fresh cookies straight from the oven. They smell delicious, but Sam knows from experience trying to steal one is a fruitless endeavor. Plus, he really doesn’t want to stress his husband more than Gabriel already is.

“What do you want Sammy, I’m busy,” Gabriel asks in one breath, setting down the sheet. He immediately starts transferring the cookies onto a cooling rack with swift, sure hands. Sam watches and tries not to imagine those hands on his body.

“Just wanted to see how far you’d gotten,” he says after a moment. “Raphe and Dean have finally arrived, and they brought a boatload of presents with them. Raphe demanded to see ‘the mad kitchen dervish’ and I volunteered to go see if you’d drowned in a pot yet.”

Gabriel shoots him a quick glare. “Such disrespect for my craft! There shall be no cookies for Raphe this year. And no desert. And I might strike the roast, too.”

Sam laughs and dares to walk over to his husband and wrap his arms around Gabriel once he’s transferred the last cookie. “You would never do that, you adore Raphe,” he murmurs into Gabriel’s ear. “Breathe, Gabe. We’ve got enough cookies to feed a whole army, everything else is prepared and just needs to be re-heated once the roast is done. Come sit down with us, hm? I miss you.”

“Playin’ dirty,” Gabriel protests, but when Sam steps back, he follows him out into the hall and greets his sister and her husband – and eyes the mound of wrapped presents they apparently stacked up in the hall.

“What the shit, Raphe?”

Lucifer plays on the piano in the grand living room nobody uses unless it’s Christmas. He’s left the lid down and plays quietly, allowing everyone to keep up their conversations, but he didn’t feel like joining in. The melodies are so familiar he doesn’t need sheet music to read from, and he thinks he could even close his eyes, but instead he watches his family sit and talk. It’s a far more relaxed atmosphere than in past years, and Lucifer’s not quite sure how he feels about it. But he likes that Raphe is wearing a dress today, and the high heels she kicked off beneath the couch put her almost at a height with Michael. He likes that Gabriel is snuggled into Sam’s arm while chatting with Cas, and that Adam and Ketch have been playing a game of chess for the past hour.

It’s very different to the stiff, uncomfortable gatherings on Christmas Eve in years past, when everyone showed up because Chuck demanded it, and nobody was happy to be there.

Lucifer doesn’t stop playing when Michael slides onto the bench next to him, just turns his head to look at his older brother. Michael looks happy and relaxed, and he’s nursing a glass of white wine. “I wasn’t sure this was a good idea,” Michael murmurs softly, “but Amara was right.”

Lucifer hums and picks up a new melody. “I thought we should have the whole place torn down actually,” he admits. “And I was ready to feel uncomfortable and remember all the bad shit from before. But the house feels all warm and welcoming now.”

Michael sips his wine. “Yes,” he agrees.

Dinner is a relaxed affair this year, despite the beautifully decorated and laid table and everyone wearing elegant clothes. There’s laughter and light-hearted teasing, and numerous exclamations over how good everything tastes. Rowena takes one bite of the roast and proceeds to very seriously informs Gabriel that if he ever has enough of Sam, he’s very welcome in her kitchen. Sam snorts and wraps an arm around Gabriel.

“Rowena, sweetheart, I really appreciate the offer,” Gabriel says earnestly, “but sorry, I’m so completely gay. You have zero chances of tempting me into anything.”

Everyone laughs at that, even as Lucifer pats his lover consolingly and promises in a loud whisper to abduct Gabriel for her should she wish for a decent meal.

They all linger over desert, because while Gabriel is a good cook, he’s an even better pâtissier and everyone regrets being unable to eat more than one helping of the decadent mousse au chocolat he prepared. Amara sips her coffee and watches her family with a smile that’s so wide, it actually hurts her cheeks. She doesn’t care. This room hasn’t heard so much laughter as far back as she can remember, and it feels so right for it to be like this today, full of laughter and warmth and happiness. Ketch’s warm hand covers hers on the table and squeezes once before he leaves it there, just covering her hand while he talks to Raphael about plans for the back garden come spring, and Amara thinks she might actually melt in happiness.

“It’s _snowing_!”

Castiel’s exclamation has everyone abandon their drinks and conversations and scramble for a window to stare outside.

The youngest of the Shurley siblings is right, it _is_ snowing. The ground is already covered in a thin white blanket, illuminated by the warm glow of the lights Ketch strung up on the tree in the back garden. Everyone stares for a long moment before Dean grins and takes Raphael’s hand, drawing her into the hall with him. “You promised we’d have a rematch if it snowed!”

“Can I at least change?” Raphael protests weakly, but she’s laughing.

Lucifer tilts his head. “Rematch, hmm? Boys, I think our sister could use a little help.”

There’s a chorus of “Yes!” before Lucifer, Michael, Gabriel and Castiel hurry after the pair.

Adam and Sam share a look before Sam grins and Adam shrugs. “He deserves ending up in a snowdrift.”

“He will anyways,” Sam shrugs and leads the way into the hall. “Three against five.”

He’s not quite right. They start out in clearly defined teams, but it soon devolves into a free-for-all snowball melee. Sam admits defeat when he’s on his back in the snow, being tickled mercilessly by his husband. Gabriel grins and helps him up.

“That was cheating,” Sam declares, still laughing. Gabriel shrugs.

“Michael won against Adam by kissing him senseless,” he tells the taller man, pointing to where Adam is indeed wrapped in Michael’s arms. Both men don’t seem to notice the flying snow anymore.

“Ah, to be young and in love again,” Gabriel sighs, adopting a dramatic pose. Sam snorts and reaches down for a handful of snow.

“Wanna tell me something, Gabe?”

Gabriel peeks at his husband from beneath the hand he’s pressed dramatically to his forehead, notices the snow, and quickly shakes his head. Sam laughs.

Dean does indeed end up in a snowdrift, defeated by Lucifer, Castiel and Raphael working together to pelt him with snow. He pretends to grumble about it for a moment, but everyone can see the way his lips tug upwards when Raphael helps him up and cuddles into his arms with a happy smile.

“Who else is hoping Amara has hot chocolate ready for us?”

It’s late, and the house is silent. Amara looks up from where she’s attempting to remove all the needles from her hair when Ketch slips into their bedroom and closes the door behind himself.

“Everyone settled?”

Ketch nods and walks over. Amara gratefully lowers her arms and watches in the mirror of her small vanity as he removes the needles with gentle precision. Her hair falls down in curly strands.

“Everyone’s in their rooms at least,” he amends, grinning. “From the way Gabriel was climbing Sam in the hallway, I think sleep might not be happening yet.”

Amara makes a face. “I am _not_ going to think about that!” she exclaims, making Ketch laugh again.

“We can always take our revenge,” he purrs, leaning down to kiss her neck. The shadow of his beard against the sensitive spot makes her shiver. “Fancy snogging me at breakfast?”

Amara _giggles_ at that, feeling ridiculously happy and young. “Maaaaybe.”

Ketch hums and moves so his stubble brushes her skin again. “Maybe we should practice a little?”

Amara allows him to pull her up and tug her over to their bed, tumble her into the sheets as if she’s a young girl again. “Practice, you say?”

Ketch crawls over her with a wicked grin. “Practice.”

Slowly, one after the other, the lights go out in the bedrooms of the big, old house as moans and sighs fall quiet. Love and happiness are still almost tangible in the rooms and hallways of the house, banishing the ghosts of past years. The lights of the tree in the back garden still shine their warm light into the night, and the snow continues to fall, covering the world in a white blanket.

Next year’s Christmas celebration in the Shurley household will see new traditions… and a snowball fight will be a part of it.

As long as they can get another white Christmas, at least.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos make an author's day <3


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